Preparing for winter: Undefeated Woodbury keeps grinding it out

Woodbury is unbeaten and stands seventh in the Metro Top 10 and Class 6A rankings. That doesn't mean all has gone well for the Royals.

"We are fortunate to be 3-0 right now," Woodbury coach Andy Hill said. "We need to keep getting better. We want to take the next step as a program, and we've got a lot to work on."

The Royals' three victories — over Champlin Park 21-7, winless Eastview 31-13 and one-win Eagan 23-14 — haven't been impressive. Part of that is by design.

"Playing in Minnesota and knowing what the weather looks like in the playoffs, we need to be able to run the ball," Hill said. "We have work to do."

Woodbury is coming off a 9-2 season that ended with a 31-12 loss to Blaine in the Class 6A state tournament quarterfinals.

"We aren't chasing stats this year, we're chasing wins," Hill said.

Which is why junior quarterback George Bjellos' numbers are good but not gaudy. He has completed 34 of 47 passes (72.3 percent) with six touchdowns.

"George is our steady, confident leader on offense," Hill said. "He is efficient and selfless, everything you want in a quarterback."

He had to turn to Bjellos to take over Thursday, when Woodbury trailed Eagan 14-10 midway through the third quarter. Bjellos threw an 11-yard touchdown pass and followed it up with a 2-yard scoring run early in the fourth quarter. He completed 16 of 21 passes for 267 yards and two touchdowns.

"If we wanted, we could force the issue and George could throw for 300 to 400 yards per game," Hill said. "That's not what drives him. He just wants to win and understands the growth process we need to go through as a team."

Open field

Park of Cottage Grove senior Derrik Brown Jr. knows how to take advantage of limited touches.

Brown got the ball 15 times Friday, resulting in 383 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns as the Wolfpack (1-2) rallied to beat Eastview 43-36. Park trailed 36-35 when Brown caught a 79-yard touchdown pass with 1 minute, 8 seconds remaining. He also ran for the two-point conversion.

Brown had only 110 all-purpose yards in Park's first two games.

"Our offensive coordinator, Tim Walton, came to me and asked to make him a hybrid to accentuate his skill, and it was clearly displayed," Wolfpack coach Rick Fryklund said. "It is fun to coach someone like him because he is always humble and willing to do whatever is needed for the team."

Brown caught a 76-yard touchdown pass on Park's previous possession after scoring on a 51-yard run earlier in the quarter. He ran for a 75-yard touchdown with the Wolfpack trailing 14-0 in the first quarter. In the game, he rushed for 156 yards on 10 carries, caught three passes for another 161 yards, returned a punt 52 yards and returned a kickoff 14 yards. He even had a 52-yard punt.

"DJ is an extremely versatile athlete, and with help from our offensive line he was able to find some holes to run through," Fryklund said. "Whether it was as a punter, a returner, a running back or a wide receiver, he delivered clutch plays all evening."

Down to seven

Only seven teams remain unbeaten in Class 6A. They are Eden Prairie and Maple Grove, tied for second in the state rankings, No. 4 Prior Lake, No. 5 Stillwater, No. 7 Woodbury, No. 8 Rosemount and No. 10 Forest Lake.

The list will continue to dwindle. Eden Prairie has games left with Prior Lake, Stillwater and Rosemount. Prior Lake and Rosemount will clash later in the season as will Stillwater and

Forest Lake.

Inside the numbers

0:36 Time remaining when junior running back Lukas Kuehl scored his fourth touchdown on a 1-yard run, giving Litchfield a 27-20 triumph over Glencoe-Silver Lake. He also scored on runs of 1, 9 and 56 yards.

5 Touchdowns (four rushing and one passing) by Maple Grove senior quarterback Jacob Kilzer in a 41-27 victory over Minnetonka in a matchup of Class 6A unbeatens.

18 Receptions by Winona Cotter junior receiver Luke Gardner in a 34-12 victory over Wabasha-Kellogg. He wound up with 242 receiving yards and four touchdown catches.

54 First-half points scored by Lakeview in a 67-28 triumph over MACCRAY.

154.9 East Ridge junior Tanner Zolnosky's quarterback rating in a 54-6 victory over Hopkins. He completed 11 of 15 passes for 263 yards and five touchdowns.

339 Rushing yards for Kingsland senior running back Beau Wiersma on only 15 carries in a 48-7 triumph over Southland. He scored two touchdowns.

1,063 Stillwater senior quarterback Max Shikenjanski's passing yards through the first three weeks of the season. He has completed 66 of 95 attempts for 12 touchdowns with one interception.